Dolphins-Browns Five Biggest Storylines ... And How They Played Out

The Miami Dolphins improved to 7-3 on the season with their 39-17 victory against the Cleveland Browns at Hard Rock Stadium

The Miami Dolphins made it four wins a row with their 39-17 victory against the Cleveland Browns at Hard Rock Stadium on Sunday.

Ahead of the matchup, we offered our weekly ranking and analysis of the five biggest storylines, so now it's time to see how they played out:

1. Brissett Back in South Florida

BEFORE THE GAME: When this game was scheduled, there was an expectation that it just might be Deshaun Watson who would be at quarterback for the Browns, but it didn't play out that way after the NFL suspended the talented but trouble quarterback for 11 games. Instead, it will be old friend Jacoby Brissett running the offense for Cleveland. He will come to Miami with stats that don't necessarily tell the story of how he's played so far filling in for Watson. While he had his moments for the Dolphins, he most definitely wasn't a fan favorite and no doubt would love to get some revenge in this game.

DURING THE GAME: Like his team, Brissett got to a very good start with a 38-yard completion on his first throw (even though that pass was underthrown), but his numbers ended up being pretty pedestrian. Brissett was 22-for-35 for 212 yards with one touchdown, no picks and an 89.2 passer rating. The reality, though, is that Brisett most definitely wasn't the reason Cleveland got blown out.

2. Armstead Will Have Arms Full

BEFORE THE GAME; OK, so we took some literary license here using arms instead of hands because we do love some alliteration, but you get the point nonetheless. Terron Armstead has been a rock for the Dolphins all season despite not operating at 100 percent, but he'll be facing a huge challenge against the Browns going up against star pass rusher Myles Garrett.

DURING THE GAME: By this time, we probably should have expected Armstead to get the job done against Garrett. We should mention, however, that Garrett didn't always go against Armstead and it was a team effort across the offensive line that made Garrett a non-factor — two tackles, no QB hits. This was a truly impressive performance by the entire offensive line.

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3. The Chubb Challenge

BEFORE THE GAME: The Dolphins had a tough time containing the running of Bears quarterback Justin Fields last weekend, but running back Nick Chubb will represent a whole new challenge for the Miami defense because of his vision and ability to break tackles. The good news here is the Dolphins generally have done well against running backs so far in 2022, though Chubb is among the best in the NFL.

DURING THE GAME: Those who only saw highlights of the game might think that Chubb had success thanks to his 33-yard touchdown run, but the reality is that he was a non-factor. First, that touchdown came with the Dolphins leading 30-10 early in the fourth quarter. Outside of that, Chubb rushed for 30 yards. Furthermore, Chubb had a costly fumble in the first quarter in Dolphins territory with the score tied 7-7. The challenge was for the defense to not let Chubb win the game for Cleveland, and it was mission accomplished.

4. A Three-Peat on Offense?

BEFORE THE GAME: The Dolphins passing game is coming off back-to-back big games against the Detroit Lions and Chicago Bears, but this is a much better defense Tua Tagovailoa, Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle will face. That said, it's not like many defenses have been able to slow down the Dolphins passing game, and it figures to be the key to another Miami victory in this game.

INSIDE THE GAME: There was no 300-yard passing day for Tua Tagovailoa, but there was not one single drop in efficiency in the passing game — it, in fact, might have been even better than it was at Detroit and Chicago. It was a clean game for Tua, who was 25-for-32 for 285 yards, with three touchdowns, no picks and a 135.0 passer rating. The one difference was that Tua spread the ball around this time, with Hill and Waddle combining for only 110 of the 302 receiving yards (Skylar Thompson had a 17-yard completion at the end of the game). And then the passing game also got a boost from a running game that exploded for 195 yards.

5. Will the Defense Deliver at Home?

BEFORE THE GAME: We already mentioned the challenges the Dolphins defense will face, but what we've seen so far this season suggests a strong outing because the game will be at Hard Rock Stadium. Look at the Dolphins' best performances on defense this season and all of them came at home — against New England, Minnesota and Pittsburgh. The Dolphins didn't have great outings the past two games, but the coaches are confident it's a matter of time before Xavien Howard, Emmanuel Ogbah and newcomer Bradley Chubb show their true ability, which would go a long way toward helping the defense take a big step forward.

INSIDE THE GAME: After giving up 393 and 368 yards the previous two games, the defense responded with a strong effort against Cleveland. The Dolphins held the Browns to 297 total yards, the third time this season they held an opponent under 300 yards. The Dolphins also came up with three sacks, two fourth-down stops and the one takeaway when Xavien Howard recovered the Chubb fumble after it was forced by defensive lineman Zach Sieler.

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